Austin Lee Edwards, 28, was training to become a patrol deputy for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The Virginia police officer accused ofposed as a 17-year-old online as he manipulated the couple’s teenage granddaughter in what law-enforcement officials are calling a “catfishing” attempt, authorities said on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
Police don’t know yet how long Edwards was communicating with the girl. And they don’t know exactly how he was able to glean information about her family. But Edwards eventually learned enough to travel across the country, arriving at the home of Mark and Sharie Winek on Nov. 25, where he is accused of murdering the couple and the girl’s mother, Brooke Winek, before taking the girl away in his car.
The Winek couple’s surviving daughter, Mychelle Blandin, said a neighbor who knew her parents for years called police when they saw the girl in distress and entering that unfamiliar car. In Wednesday’s emotional press conference, Blandin called that neighbor a hero.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Virginia Lawman Identified in Deaths of Riverside Family Members, Abduction of TeenThe man who died in a shootout with police Friday is believed to have driven across the country to meet a teenage girl before killing three members of her family and setting their house on fire, police said Sunday.
Read more »
Riverside murder suspect, former Virginia state trooper passed background checks, psych evalsAustin Edwards, a former Virginia state trooper, was accused of catfishing a teen girl, then murdering her family when he went to meet her. Virginia State Police said he passed all their background checks.
Read more »
Riverside triple-murder suspect, former Virginia state trooper passed background checks, psych evalsAustin Edwards, a former Virginia state trooper, was accused of catfishing a teen girl, then murdering her family when he went to meet her. Virginia State Police said he passed all their background checks.
Read more »
Who is Austin Lee Edwards?Former Virginia State Trooper Austin Lee Edwards was accused of murdering three people before lighting their Riverside home on fire.
Read more »
Former State Trooper Who Catfished Teen Girl and Murdered Her Family Dies in ShootoutAustin Lee Edwards drove 2,500 miles to kidnap the teen and kill her mom and grandparents.
Read more »
Former police officer allegedly catfishes teen girl online, kills her familyRIVERSIDE, Calif. — A former Virginia police officer allegedly 'catfished' a teenage girl online before traveling to Riverside, California, and killing her family, according to police.
Read more »